Nepal celebrated its second Republic Day on Saturday in the hope that with the term of its Constituent Assembly extended by a year, the incomplete task of framing a Constitution will now be completed.
Speaking at an event to mark the occasion here, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said the political parties would now move ahead, leaving all the disagreements behind.
“We have one more time stood together to complete the peace process and write the Constitution,” Mr. Nepal said. “We must learn from our shortcomings in the past and utilise the time ahead; and I believe we would be guided by the agreement we made yesterday.”
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The tenure of the Constituent Assembly was extended at the last minute on Friday after an agreement was reached among the three major parties, the UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN (UML). The Maoists had earlier stood against extending the CA's term but agreed to it on the condition that Mr. Nepal steps down from his post. Mr. Nepal will reportedly discuss his resignation procedure with ruling parties on Sunday. As per Friday's agreement, a consensus government would be formed to replace the present CPN (UML)-led government.
“We will now move ahead with consensus,” said Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' at President Ram Baran Yadav's residence on Saturday where he met top political leaders along with the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the decision to extend the CA's term has been welcomed by the international community. The United States, Japan and European Union member countries welcomed the decision.
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